Michelle Obama To Skip Trump’s Inauguration After Slamming Him In DNC Speech

On Tuesday, the office of Barack Obama’s wife, Michelle Obama, announced that the former first lady would not be attending President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20.

A statement from the Office of Barack and Michelle Obama declared, “Former President Barack Obama is confirmed to attend the 60th inaugural Ceremonies. Former First Lady Michelle Obama will not attend the upcoming inauguration.”

Over the years, Michelle has been unabashedly vocal about her loathing for Trump and accused him of endangering her family through offensive and malicious language.

Ahead of Trump’s swearing-in in 2017, Michelle and Obama invited Trump and his wife, Melania, to the White House for tea and discussion. The attempt to bridge the distance between the political figures was unsuccessful, and in a 2023 podcast, Michelle recounted her experience of Trump’s inauguration in 2017: “To sit on that stage and watch the opposite of what we represented on display – there was no diversity, there was no color on that stage, there was no reflection of the broader sense of America.”

In July, both Obamas gave withering speeches about Trump’s character at the Democratic National Convention.

As the presence of former presidents and First Ladies is typically expected at inauguration ceremonies, the office of George W. Bush has confirmed that the former president and his wife, Laura Bush, will be present on Jan. 20. Former President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton are also set to be in attendance.

Last week, Michelle did not attend former President Jimmy Carter’s memorial service, though Barack Obama was seen in attendance, sitting beside Trump and engaged in an animated conversation. At the time, Jeff Zeleny of CNN reported that Michelle was “still in Hawaii on an extended holiday vacation,” and credited her absence at the funeral to a scheduling conflict.

Trump and Melania did not attend Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021, amid Trump’s false claims that the election had been rigged. Before them, the last time a sitting president did not attend the inauguration of the incoming president was in 1869 when Andrew Johnson refused to attend the ceremony for Ulysses S. Grant.

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